GOP governors on 'Hannity': Biden making them 'pay the price' for being fiscally responsible

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Hannity's RGA panel discusses COVID bailouts for Democratic states

Govs. Bill Lee, Ron DeSantis, Kristi Noem, Chris Sununu, and Doug Ducey sound off on 'Hannity'

Members of the Republican Governors Association joined "Hannity" on Wednesday for a town hall event, in which host Sean Hannity asked them how they are dealing with President Biden after not instituting coronavirus lockdowns seen in Democrat-led states like Pennsylvania, New York, Michigan, California and New Jersey.

One member of the RGA, Gov. Kristi Noem of South Dakota, noted that she never shut down her state or ordered businesses closed, because she wanted to "trust" her constituents to do what was right for their personal lives.

Hannity went on to ask New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds how they feel about their constituents' tax dollars being part of a $40 billion federal handout to California, a state with an economy devastated by Gov. Gavin Newsom's lockdowns.

"We are paying the price," said Reynolds. "In Iowa, we are cutting taxes and reducing regulations. We had our kids in School. We are open for business."

Reynolds said she actually sent back $95 million in federal aid because Iowa didn't need the help, and that such an amount is a drain on the taxpayer.

She said it appears Biden believes "we are just starting COVID."

"The emergency is over," she said. "It's unconscionable the amount of money that's flowing into these states."

Sununu keyed into the expected inflation that often follows repeat bouts of large federal expenditures, as seen under Biden's first 100 days in office.

"They came in and changed the rules to fit their agenda. You are seeing Republican governors as the last line of defense against not just a socialist agenda but true socialism," he said.

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"That's what is happening with the executive orders. The biggest thing hitting America is inflation. [Treasury] Secretary Janet Yellen said we'd have a bump in inflation. We are on the verge of hyper-inflation and supply chain issues."

Sununu declared the greatest tax on any American to be inflation, pointing to the fact low-income families are the worst hit by gas price spikes, the more than doubling of lumber prices, and commodities cost increases.

"They hurt those they claim to help most," he said of Democrats.

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, who recently took over as chairman of the RGA from Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan Jr., told Hannity that Biden "needs to stop trying to rescue" states.

"This money is a blue state bailout for their failures they've had in the past. What reward do you get for being a governor who tightens their belt?

Florida's Ron DeSantis quipped that Hannity's home state of New York has less people than Florida but somehow is facing an enormous budget crisis and crumbling infrastructure.

DeSantis explained that the potential for Biden to reinstate the SALT deduction – allowing high-tax state taxpayers to write off some of their state taxes to the federal taxpayer – "subsidizes wealthy taxpayers in those states."

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"It's a terrible policy. New York, you have millions of people fewer than Florida your budget is over twice the size."

DeSantis, Noem, fellow panelist Gov. Bill Lee of Tennessee's states all have no state income tax to begin with.

Sununu's state has no wage tax, while Alaska, Nevada, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming also have no state income tax.